Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Police to investigate banner at Crystal Palace critical of Newcastle deal

Police are investigating a banner displayed by Crystal Palace fans at Selhurst Park on Saturday that spoke out against Newcastle United’s takeover by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium. Newcastle were sold to a group consisting of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media earlier this month.

NBA roundup: Bulls off to first 3-0 start since 2016

An overwhelming defensive effort powered the host Chicago Bulls to their first 3-0 start in five years after a 97-82 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. The Bulls held the Pistons to just 15 points in the second quarter, then 11 in the third, to build a commanding lead despite enduring their own shooting woes.

Motor racing-Verstappen on pole and Hamilton alongside in Texas

Red Bull’s Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen secured pole position for the U.S. Grand Prix in the dying seconds on Saturday as Mercedes title rival Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second. Verstappen leads seven times world champion Hamilton by six points with six races remaining and the pole at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas was the ninth of the season for the Dutch 24-year-old — and eighth in the last 11 races.

NHL roundup: Blues blast Kings behind David Perron’s hat trick

David Perron scored his sixth career hat trick and added an assist as the St. Louis Blues won their home opener 7-3 over the Los Angeles Kings. Ivan Barbashev, Jake Neighbours, Ryan O’Reilly and James Neal also scored for the Blues, who have started the season 4-0 while outscoring their opponents 22-11. St. Louis has scored five or more goals in three of their four victories.

Skateboarding-Disabled skaters in Brazil aiming for Paralympic inclusion

Disabled Brazilian skateboarders got together at Brazil’s first Paraskate Tour event on Saturday where, buoyed by the success of skateboarding in the Tokyo Olympics, they worked toward inclusion in the Paralympics as soon as possible. “Paraskate won’t be in Paris (in 2024), we’re running to see if we can make it to Los Angeles (in 2028), but my hope is that Paraskate will be included in Australia in 2032,” said Eduardo Musa, president of the Brazilian Skateboarding Confederation.

Golf-Thrilled Matsuyama claims Zozo Championship with back nine charge

A blistering back nine saw Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama hold off a determined challenge from Cameron Tringale to win the Zozo Championship by five shots in front of his adoring Japanese supporters on Sunday. With the gallery restricted to 5,000 fans, Matsuyama’s final round 65 earned him the title at the Narashino Country Club in Chiba as Tringale’s challenge faltered over the final two holes.

Figure skating-Chen’s Skate America reign ends as Zhou earns gold

Nathan Chen suffered his first loss since the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics on Saturday as he finished third at Skate America in Las Vegas, where fellow American Vincent Zhou won gold in the first Grand Prix event of the Olympic figure skating season. Chen, who was seeking a record-setting fifth consecutive Skate America title, was fourth after Friday’s short program and returned to score 186.48 points in the free skate for a 269.37 total that was not enough on a night that belonged to Zhou.

Tennis-Russian Rublev seals fifth ATP Finals singles spot

Russian Andrey Rublev has become the fifth singles player to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin next month, the men’s tour said. The ATP Finals is played between the top eight men’s singles players and doubles teams. The Russian made his debut in the prestigious tournament in 2020, when it was last held in London before moving to Turin.

Rugby-United States game important ahead of Wales clash, says All Blacks Foster

New Zealand coach Ian Foster claimed the All Blacks learned valuable lessons ahead of more testing challenges on the European leg of their current tour after handing the United States a 104-14 thrashing in Washington on Saturday. Foster’s team scored 16 tries while conceding twice in a one-sided clash that saw the All Blacks return to winning ways following their recent Rugby Championship loss to South Africa.

Athletics-World Championship bronze medallist Quinonez killed in Ecuador

Sprinter Alex Quinonez, Ecuador’s World Championship bronze medallist, has been killed in his home city of Guayanquil on Friday, the country’s sports ministry said on Saturday. Guayaquil-based newspaper El Universo said Quinonez, who was 32, and another individual were fatally shot at around 9:20 p.m. on Friday in the northwest part of the city.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)